The Verizon iPhone is Coming Tomorrow: What We Know (and Don’t Know) Right Now

It’s almost time. In under 24 hours the 4 year-long wait for Verizon to get the iPhone is expected to finally be over (with respected news outlets like the Wall Street Journal already confirming that the iPhone will be what Verizon announces tomorrow). While it’s been one heck of a ride, there are a lot of questions regarding how things will work for a Verizon iPhone. Questions like which iPhone will it be, when will it be available and what kinda of data plans will be available.

We’ve got all those answers and more, Q&A style, after the break.

Which iPhone will it be?

The consensus around the internet is that this will be a Verizon version of the iPhone 4. In other words, it will look the same, have the same specs– just be able to work on Verizon’s 3G network. Sorry, but no 4G LTE here.

Oh, and there is also talk Verizon’s version will be the white one we expected to be out last year with the black iPhone 4– but that is a less popular rumor than the rest listed here.

When will it be available?

Rumors (and again, as certain as we are that this is coming tomorrow, it’s still rumor until Verizon makes it official) have it that the iPhone will be available as early as the end of this month/first week of February.

What data plan will it have?

Unlike AT&T, who last year cut the data plan for its smartphones to $15 for 250 MB or $25 for 2 GB while dropping the $30 unlimited plan, Verizon is said to offer unlimited data for their iPhone. Of course, seeing as iPhone users use a ton of data (part of the reason why the AT&T network got killed in heavy iPhone areas like NYC and San Francisco when it first came out), whether Verizon will continue to offer this plan at the current price of $30 remains to be seen (they could have plans like AT&T’s, with this unlimited plan coming in at a higher price. We’re inclined to believe that the iPhone will have the same data plans as Verizon’s current Droid, BlackBerry and other smartphones you see in the table above, offering either $15 for a very low 150 MB– basically email, sports scores, Facebook but no streaming music or YouTube– or the $30 a month unlimited).

Can Verizon hold the iPhone load?

This is probably the biggest question. AT&T had a very solid network pre-iPhone, and was completely blindsided when Apple’s “magical” device came on board. While they took a ton of bad PR, I’ve been with them through the whole thing (in one of their worst areas, NYC no less), and they’ve really pushed through it. Really, today you rarely hear any complaints on their network, and sure it’s not perfect yet, but it’s fast for internet and calls actually seem to go through now– well, most of the time anyway.

Verizon, as also has been well publicized, has the strongest network in the country. Calls not only seem to always work, but sound incredible with little to no drops in coverage or data. But they haven’t had to deal with the weight of an iPhone on that network. Yes you can say that it’s been almost 4 years for Verizon to prepare and that the Droids are pretty taxing on the network themselves, but the iPhone is its own beast and only time will tell if Verizon’s network can really hold its own with the iPhone on board.

Will the Verizon iPhone be able to handle voice and data at the same time?

This used to be a minor deal, but ever since the first Droid came out in 2009 and Verizon began attacking AT&T’s network and the then exclusive iPhone, AT&T and Apple brought the then little known feature into the limelight. Being able to go online and check a score or your Facebook while on a call sounds like something you’ll never use– I for sure thought I’d never use it– but it really is clutch. Imagine being on hold trying to order to get to tech support, tap the home button and you can quickly check to see if Carmelo finally got traded to the Nets, all while still connected on your call.

Now the reason AT&T’s network can do this and Verizon’s can’t has nothing to do with the iPhone but the networks they use. AT&T’s GSM-based 3G network allows for this “simultaneous voice and data” while Verizon’s CDMA network makes your phone (and by extension you) need to choose between either voice or data at a time. There is talk Verizon will add this feature to their 3G network during 2011, but whether it’s tomorrow or a date to be named later remains to be seen.

Thankfully the wait for these answers shouldn’t be much longer, so make sure to check back here tomorrow where we’ll have the full breakdown of everything you need to know about the Verizon iPhone!